Why do you skydive? It can be an uncomfortable but necessary question.
Skydiving has never been more accessible. Better gear, faster training pipelines, endless online content, and social media highlight reels have lowered the barrier to entry in ways we couldn’t have imagined 20 years ago. That’s not inherently bad—but it can come with unintended consequences.
Complacency is a slow erosion of respect for the sport. A new generation of jumpers who sometimes don’t fully understand why they’re stepping out of an aircraft in the first place.
This isn’t about gatekeeping. It’s about self-awareness, safety, and longevity in a sport that is brutally honest when mistakes stack up. So, let’s ask the question most people never stop revisiting:
Skydiving. For many of us it’s freedom, adrenaline, and pure joy. But behind every jump that feels effortless are countless hours of training, repetition, and a commitment to safety.
That’s why coaching matters. Whether you’re new to the sport or a seasoned jumper, coaching can keep you improving... and alive.
Coaching is critical in skydiving in how it helps both new and experienced jumpers build skills while keeping safety front and center.
Henry coaching above Skydive Monroe. Photo by Albalia Perez De Kochen.Continue reading →
While ChutingStar may seem to some like some huge corporate monster of a company, we are a group 7 people serving the skydiving community out of one location in Marietta, Georgia. For the most part, we're available 24/7 in some manner be it in the shop, on the phone or online.
Since 1999, we've mostly been able to provide seamless support by staggering breaks for our staff and covering for each other's "specialty" so that you rarely know when one or two of us are gone for a few days.
Many skydiving manufacturers have a summer and a winter shutdown that may be a week or more. ChutingStar has always stayed open during those times to support skydivers with info, advice, parts and gear. That will be changing slightly this year.
For 2026, there will be a couple of staff breaks to give our group a breather. This will delay custom orders processing and some shipments, but we've scheduled these breaks around holidays and manufacturer shutdowns where we are limited in what we can do at that time anyway.
There’s something about swooping that pulls every skydiver in. The sound, the speed, the precision; it’s art in motion. A perfectly executed turn and a mirror-smooth pond carve? That’s skydiving poetry.
But lately, I’ve noticed more and more jumpers chasing the swoop for all the wrong reasons. It’s become less about mastering the craft and more about chasing clout, downsizing too soon, copying what they see on Instagram, or just trying to look cool on landing. And that’s when people get hurt. It's “The YouTube effect.”
Henry carving in on a swoop at Skydive Monroe. Photo by Albalia Perez De Kochen.Continue reading →
A 20-Year Journey of Growth, Safety, and Complacency
Over the last two decades, skydiving has evolved significantly, transforming from a niche thrill-seeking activity into a widely accessible and increasingly safe sport. From improved equipment technology to enhanced training protocols, the sport has made remarkable strides. However, amid this progress, a concerning trend has emerged: complacency among experienced skydivers and a lack of respect for the inherent risks of the sport. This is resulting in an unfortunate retrogression—more experienced skydivers getting injured or even killed, while newer participants neglect the importance of vigilance, discipline, and respect for safety.
The Growth of Skydiving: A Safer Sport
Skydiving has experienced exponential growth over the past 20 years. What was once seen as an extreme sport reserved for a select few has now become increasingly accessible to a broader audience. In 2000, skydiving was largely a sport for adrenaline junkies and military personnel, with the equipment and training far from the streamlined, professional systems we see today. However, advances in equipment technology and training have made skydiving more reliable and safer.
One of the major factors contributing to the sport's safety is the development of modern parachutes. The introduction of “square” or “ram-air” canopies, which are far more stable and predictable than the old round ones, revolutionized how skydivers navigate and land. These canopies are designed to offer better control, making the landing process less perilous.
The GoPro HERO9, HERO10, HERO11, HERO12 & HERO13 Black cameras are slightly bigger all the way around compared to prior GoPro versions. So make sure you have the correct mount for your skydiving helmet!
First-off the HERO9/10/11/12/13 can mount to any mount that attaches to the bottom GoPro attachment spindles. This means the Vmag system can be used right now for your HERO9/10/11/12/13 on a Cookie G4, G3, KISS or Skyhelmet Funjin.
There also is a HERO9/10/11/12/13 top mount option available from Zkulls for TFX, G3, G35 and G4 with a cutaway option, and Cookie has it's HERO9/10/11/12/13 Roller. We're talking with the other helmet mount manufacturers that use a base cradle or cage, to add more HERO9/10/11/12/13 mounts.
Helmet and camera mount manufacturers continue to stay on top of giving you plenty of options for a wide range of mounting options for just about any current GoPro camera.
Below are the most popular available options from ChutingStar for mounting a camera to a Cookie G4, Tonfly TFX and KISS helmet.
Please keep in mind that the G4 helmet does not have a cutaway system, and the helmet is tighter to get in/out of than the G3. So take that into account when choosing a mounting system. Some have a cutaway or breakaway feature, while others don't. Same for TFX and KISS helmets.
One other note is that drilling into the G4 helmet does void the impact protection rating. So keep that in consideration on your mount choice if that's important to you. See the full Cookie G4 camera mount disclaimer at the bottom of this post.
15 years ago, open face helmets were the norm for skydiving and only RW teams used full face skydiving helmets. But with the increase of wind tunnels over our planet as well as so many different disciplines of closer proximity skydiving, many jumpers and tunnel flyers go straight to a full face helmet as their first and only helmet.
With several different versions and brands to choose from, which one should you go with? We'll lay out the features, differences, prices as well as highlight some customer reviews, so you can make the most educated choice possible.
ChutingStar did start out as the Rigger Rant & Rave...so true to form...it's time for some ranting...and then some raving.
To all you complainers out there who have been living under a boulder or in some weird bubble, we're living in the middle of a freaking pandemic. COVID-related deaths, disruptions and shutdowns are real. Be happy you're even alive to read this.
Some skydiving gear manufacturers, stores and drop zones have gone out of business, some are having staffing issues and others just can't get the materials needed to complete manufacturing. Some are communicating well to dealers and customers, and some are a complete overwhelmed mess of misinformation.
Anything skydiving-related not currently in stock at ChutingStar, and still available to order from manufacturers, is on the way to us, being manufactured or on some sort of backorder awaiting the manufacturer to manufacture. We are in touch with the manufacturers about delays and backorders on a daily basis so we can communicate to you expected ship dates. But even then, those get pushed back due to more manufacturing or shipping delays.
Packing parachutes while all of your friends are jumping out of airplanes all day or packing late into the night while they relax and party doesn't seem to make sense to most skydivers. But only riggers know the internal rewards of the mostly thankless profession of parachute rigging.
FAA Master Parachute Riggers Steve, Mike & Vitaly at ChutingStar Rigging Loft.Continue reading →
